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help with humidor

rygarrygar Posts: 17
in General Discussion
My wonderful wife just got me a new humidor for my birthday yesterday. Its quite nice, roomy and comes with a built in hydrometer.

I have about 15 cigars in there and im trying to bump up the humidity as quick as possible. I have a regular humidifier (plastic cage with florist foam) i have it filled up with distilled water, i will be getting propylene glycol this weekend.

i have 2 humi-care packets that have been thoroughly soaked with distilled water.

i also have one of those tablespoon medicine cups filled with distilled water.

its been about 3 hours and the hydrometer is only saying its about 44% humidity. id like to get it to the 70% humidity.

can someone please help before i lose $100 worth of cigars.

thanks guys

Comments

  • RaschNutsRaschNuts Posts: 882
    Search in the Cigars 101 Threads for Humidor Help you will find a ton of info.

    Few quick questions though.

    1. Did you season your humidor before you put the cigars in it?
    2. Did you calibrate the Hydrometer?
    3. If you seasoned and calibrated where was the RH when you put the sticks in?
  • rygarrygar Posts: 17
    wow...goes to show how little i know.

    i did not season, i did not calibrate and the RH was 40%. let me start searching a little more.
  • RaschNutsRaschNuts Posts: 882
    dont worry we have all been there
  • rygarrygar Posts: 17
    ok i just completed the first stage of of seasoning by wiping the entire inside down with distilled water. I have the humdification device moisted and doing. and i know to repeat again tomorrow.

    hydrometer is in a ziploc bag with salt awaiting 7am to check the percent level.
  • bigharpoonbigharpoon Posts: 2,963 ✭✭✭
    Are your cigars sealed in a ziplock bag as well until the seasoning process and salt test are over?
  • rygarrygar Posts: 17
    i have them crammed into an old humidor.
    which is probably a bad idea since it was never seasoned.

    will be putting in plastic bag as we speak.
  • camgfscamgfs Posts: 968 ✭
    Your cigars won't be ruined. Just make sure they are not in sunlight, or near a source of heat. Keep them safe and DON'T keep them in the fridge because it's dryer there than in your house. Something I do on purpose is "dry-box" some of my cigars before smoking them. I put a couple sticks that I plan to smoke in an un-seasoned humidor, sometimes for a few days before lighting them up. Some sticks (like dark maduro and srtong cigars) will burn better if they are a little dryer (might just be my opinion, lol). anyway, a few days of seasoning your humidor properly will pay off in the long run, and that is more important. Do it right, and your humi will serve you well for years to come.

    You might see a drop in RH when you put the cigars back in, but that's normal. Try not to overcompensate for a temporary rise or fall in RH from time to time. I like to keep my humi around 65%, and that works for me.

    Good luck, and have fun with it.

  • rygarrygar Posts: 17
    salt test update.

    i had set up my bag and coffee mug with salt water last night around 10pm. when i checked this morning around 8am, the hydrometer was reading only about 60%.

    im not sure whether the hydrometer was off or maybe the bag was covering enough of the opening where the moisture couldnt get out, so i set it up again.

    How would one adjust the hydrometer to proper settings, or would it have to be a mental note. that it displays 60, but really means 70
  • firetruckguyfiretruckguy Posts: 2,522 ✭✭✭
    Some hydrometers have a small hole in the back of them that a small flat blade screwdriver can turn up or down the dial. If it does not have that, 60% means 70%...... I would jump on a adjustable digital hydrometer that you can set in the humi also, they are nice because they also have a temp reading. PM me your Addy and Ill send you a little care package for your new humi.
  • jr_p951jr_p951 Posts: 1,121
    Your on the right path. I'd keep the cigars in a ziplock bag with a damp humipillow. Take your time on seasoning the humidor. The last thing you'd want to do is warp the cedar from saturating. A light coating of distilled water once a day is plenty. Also I'm pretty sure the rh for a salt test should be at 75%. You're humidor will be prime in a few days. You'll definitely feel better about your stogies and keeping them in there. The only problem I have with mine is...i want to open the lid to check on it all the time. So I might go with a glass top on my next box.
  • kevin1323kevin1323 Posts: 294 ✭
    I can attest that the glass top humi doesn't curb my desire to open the lid! I have to use serious restraint.
  • Smokin EasySmokin Easy Posts: 1
    camgfs:
    Some sticks (like dark maduro and srtong cigars) will burn better if they are a little dryer (might just be my opinion, lol).
    I've been smoking for about a year now and this is the first time that I've heard this (not that hard to believe since I'm in the middle of the desert) but I will definitely be trying this. I have some Indian Tabac Super Fuertes that I've not been able to get a good smoke out of yet. Maybe this will be exactly what I need! Thanks for the tip!
  • rygarrygar Posts: 17
    i currently have all my cigars in a ziplock with 2 humi pillows that the cigars came in.

    as for the humidor. now that i have a safe temporarily handling place and the know how i am just gonna take my time and do it the right way to prevent future mishaps.

    im glad i asked otherwise i wouldve wasted a bunch of money.

    as soon as i get home im going to check on the salt test and then adjust the hydrometer if needed. Then i will plug it back into its hole. i will test the humidity tonight. but just for good measure i will recoat the inside with distilled water again tonight and let it sit some more.
  • PsychoSJGPsychoSJG Posts: 766 ✭✭✭
    rygar:
    i currently have all my cigars in a ziplock with 2 humi pillows that the cigars came in. as for the humidor. now that i have a safe temporarily handling place and the know how i am just gonna take my time and do it the right way to prevent future mishaps. im glad i asked otherwise i wouldve wasted a bunch of money. as soon as i get home im going to check on the salt test and then adjust the hydrometer if needed. Then i will plug it back into its hole. i will test the humidity tonight. but just for good measure i will recoat the inside with distilled water again tonight and let it sit some more.
    We're all glad you did. There are a lot of lil things to learn and the members here will gladly help you along the way. Take your time with the seasoning. Dont wipe too much water in there as it can warp the wood, and even a lil warping in certain areas can ruin your seal. Best to now leave the distilled water in there and leave it for a week or 2. Boveda sells 84% RH seasoning pack that you just throw in and leave it. Welcome to the forums.
  • The3StogiesThe3Stogies Posts: 2,652 ✭✭✭✭
    My first humi I went through the same thing, learning curves. Sounds like you're on the right track brother, but slow is better. I would try not to wipe it though, if you can help it, the cedar does warp easily and you will have long term issues with the seal. Wiping the dividers or trays would be my chioce. My next one I think I'll Bodeva season it. Bodeva also sells a calibration kit. Also 60 to 65% ain't bad at all.
  • rygarrygar Posts: 17
    i did a quick wipe down today...nothign too dense.

    i have a shot glass of distilled water just sitting in there.

    i recalibrated my hydrometer and plugged it back in so that should be fine. i think i will just leave it as is until it stabilizes in humidity then i will move the cigars from zip lock to humidor.
  • bobojobobojo Posts: 13
    rygar - I would go back and double-check your calibration method for your hygrometer. A coffee mug of salt water doesn't sound right. It should be a small dish or bottle cap that will hold a tablespoon of salt and just enough water to wet down the salt without dissolving it. After putting it in the bag with enough air to allow for circulation, you can check it in 5 - 7 hours. And not wanting to be a pedant here, but the proper term is 'hygrometer', which measures relative humidity, as opposed to 'hydrometer', which measures specific gravity or density.
    I agree with 'camgfs' that some cigars definitely need to be dry boxed - i just had a Cubao a couple of nights ago that was a total disappointment because I believe it was too moist. So I agree that 70º is something you shouldn't be stuck on.
    Take your time with this, and as others have said, don't overdo the wipe-down. Oh, and remember that the PG solution is only an activator. Don't use it everytime you need to recharge your humidifier, or it'll get clogged. Just use distilled water 3-4 times in between, then the solution. It's actually easier to go with the gels, beads, or Boveda packs.
    Good luck!
  • bobojobobojo Posts: 13
    Oops! I meant 70%.
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